Friday night potpourri

We have lots to talk about and I barely even need to mention my ski trip because WillSki did the job for me with great photos, too. I will post a few more photos in the gallery at the end of this update.

Tyrwhitt has lots of fresh snow

I used to call it the Tyrwhitt Loop, but it appears that Helen’s new nomenclature “SkierBob Special” is starting to stick. It’s my all-time favourite, so I guess it’s appropriate.

WillSki was in Helen’s entourage, and I no sooner had parked and Helen was there with a goodie bag for me, including treats for Tessa, too. Thank You!

Speaking of renaming, has anyone ever seen an elk on Elk Pass? I vote for “Hugging Tree” trail. This would also end any confusion with the trail of the same name in Banff National Park.

The bathrooms at Pocaterra hut are closed

There’s a lot of fresh snow on Tyrwhitt which made the travelling a little slower than I like, but I’m not complaining because the snow was needed. The great new tracksetting on Elk Pass and Fox Creek made up for it.

Don’t go to Pocaterra Hut tomorrow expecting to have warm bathrooms. The hut is open but the bathrooms are closed. Thanks to MaSid for mentioning this closure on his Trip Report. The PLPP Discovery Centre up the road will have indoor bathrooms.

Take note of Carol’s warning about Mud Lake’s thin ice on the Pipestone trails. This weather is not conducive for swimming. You have to take a spur trail to reach Mud Lake, and it is worth seeing, just don’t ski on the lake.

Chuck has submitted a Trip Report and photos from the Pipestone trails which are high on my priority list now.

MaSid is Elk Pass’s notorious couch-builder and it appears the couch is ready for guests. So far the location is a mystery to me, but sooner or later I will go exploring and hopefully enjoy a sunny afternoon lounging on this lovely piece of furniture.

Trish picks the winner’s name in the Emerald Lake Lodge contest

Winner!

The winner of the Emerald Lake Lodge contest is Sheila, the unofficial Sandy McNabb reporter. Her reaction when I contacted her was “Oh my goodness, Bob, this is so exciting and you have no idea how much needed and appreciated.”

She entered the contest under the name “holdsagrudge” when she was not too pleased with her husband. This should make for a happy family again. Thank you to everyone who entered the contest. You submitted wonderful photos and great comments.

The Kicking Horse Ski Club has got their snowmobile out of the repair shop and most of the trails around Yoho and Emerald Lake were trackset yesterday including the Alluvial Fan, Horse Trail, Tally-Ho, and Kicking Horse River. Yoho Valley road(aka Takkakaw Falls) was scheduled for today. Make sure you check out the 30th Anniversary Party of the KHSC.

Mount Shark was all trackset last night. Does anyone know if the dogsleds are still running on Watridge Lake road?

Tracksetter Jeff sent in a photo of the new tracksetting on Terrace trail near Kananaskis Village and remarks, “Terrace  is looking pretty good. Removing all the foot  traffic from the holidays.”

If you are a skate-skier at Confed or Canmore park in Calgary, be sure to read ElaineB’s Trip Report.

Read Karla Handy’s trip report if you want to get excited about skiing at Sandy McNabb. It sounds like NOW is the time to go there.

Avalanche Awareness Day is on Sunday, Jan 22 at the Burstall Pass trailhead from 11 a.m. – 2:30 pm. I’m going to include the poster in the gallery photos below.

Someone left their backpack at the Pocaterra Hut. I’m also including a photo of it in the gallery.

The big news is our upcoming Trip Reporters Appreciation Party on Sunday, Jan 15. If you have submitted a Trip Report in the past 365 days, you are invited. It’s my way to acknowledge all the great information you have provided to this blog’s readers. If you’re planning to attend, please send me an email and let me know so I can make appropriate arrangements for food and refreshments. bobtruman@shaw.ca

I chose the time(3-6 pm) so that you can go skiing first, and make a day of it. You’re welcome to bring along a spouse, friend, ski buddy.

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